In the run up to Liverpool Sound City Festival (Thursday 17th May - Saturday 19th May), we’ll be bringing you our 5 “Ones to Watch” out of the 360 band line-up. First up are the Temper Trap and their full gear guide, plus a sneaky Behind the Scenes of their second album. Dolphin Music will also be taking place in Sound City’s first ever Expo, where you’ll find The Music Hub, DJ Hub, Digital Hub and Stage - your favourite manufacturers, companies, and products bringing you the latest tech tools and gadgets, everything you need to create, record and perform, and the best new innovations in creative and digital technology.

You might be forgiven for thinking that Punch, the latest release from Rob Papen is just another drum machine in a crowded market place of worthy and not so worthy contenders, but dig deeper and this revolutionary software instrument offers much, much more.

He didn’t win two Brit awards last night for nothing you know! Kola Bello, Tinie Tempah’s keyboard/synth player, Kola Bello is a self-confessed keyboard, synth and music addict plus a huge fan of Roland gear. Why? The UK grime scene is a hotbed of talent and you need to be tooled up to stay on top of your game. Roland TV caught up with him not so long ago so he can tell you all why he loves them and how he helps make Tinie Tempah such a big success. He talks through the Juno GI which aids him programme mainstream sounds with features such as pro-edit, live-edit and Phantom Power, and if you’ve wondered what the Portamento feature is in many Roland keyboards, you’ll definitely want to tune in.

Being the ‘Machine’ in Florence + the Machine, means you need the right kit. Isabella Summers invited Roland to her studio in South London, explaining how she wrote the band’s award-winning record on her best mate, the JUNO-Di synth.

The Roland GR-55 is a revolution in guitar synthesis, with features never before available in any guitar processor. In terms of speed, it’s the fastest ever. It’s also the most accurate, thanks to newly developed pitch-detection technology. As for sound, the triple-core generator houses a world-class array of virtual guitars, basses, amps, and synth voices, enabling tones and textures that have never been heard before. Check out the the demo video and Alex Hutchings testing the synthesizer out himself!

Arturia’s 25 Note keyboard is both a keyboard controller and a hybrid synthesizer. With its native software application and a dedicaed controller-keyboard, Arturia tell us The Player is a straightforward, innovative and enjoyable. Check out the video to see whay you should have it, and read more for availability and pricing, we don’t expect it to be here for much longer.

We’re giving you too many reasons to splash out in our winter sale. With up to 60% off your favourite musical equipment you can buy all your music related Christmas presents a present. Sound better for less! So, you can now tick that guitar you asked for off your Christmas list but here’s some perfect accessories that you might be missing, and some amazing discounts you shouldn’t be missing out on! Check out our best guitar gear offers….

The 19th Episode from Electro Harmonix is here! In this episode we see Bill Ruppert taking on a challenge some may deem impossible..he shows us how to recreate one of the most respected instruments of the 20th Century, the Moog Synth. Using only EHX pedals, Bill reproduces analog filters, specific ADSR enveloping as well as the sweeping modulations that redefined the way people think about tonal creativity…

Jon Shone has worked with a whole bunch of artists such as Ironic, Tinchy Stryder, V.V Brown and most recently has been playing live in Marina and the Diamonds. Our friends at Source Distribution caught up with Jon in-between tour dates to chat about what got him started, and why he’s rocking the Little Phatty..

This week we’ve unravelled the history of Roland Synths and talked you through, step by step, the brand new GAIA Synth from Roland themselves. In the final Roland Episode check out how to recreate the analogue sounds of its predecessor and how it’s going to follow the footsteps of all Roland Synthesizers to become the next legendary synth…look inside sounds and see how they work.

He may have just got an 8 week jail sentence for DIU, but George Michael certainly has good musicians in his band who make very good decisions on what instruments to use. Launched yesterday the Minimoog Voyager XL is the latest edition to Moog Music’s legendary synths. Designed in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Minimoog is a sonic powerhouse that pays homage to important milestones in the Moog synthesizer legacy.

UltraNova is a ‘Nova’ series analogue-modeling synthesizer with a powerful effects processor. It is a single-part synth taking the legendary Supernova II synth engine as a starting point and packing it with the latest technology including wavetable synthesis, a software editor and a revolutionary new touch-sense performance mode. See for yourself the sounds the UltraNova can make and how to do so with these videos…

With its massive sound, hands-on ease and affordable price, the Gaia SH-01 is a high-performance value synth with old school charm. The triple stacked engine puts potent virtual analogue synthesis at your fingertips, yet the control panel is fun, friendly and inviting, so even first timers can create great sounds. This little powerhouse is a joy for music students, songwriters, session plaers and live performers of all styles and ability levels. See exactly why the Roland Gaia SH-01 won the Future Music Platinmum Award with Future Music’s very own review…plus videos of the Gaia!

The brand new electronic drum and percussion tool from Roland gets a very good review from Future Music’s Chris Barker…
Roland’s original Octapad profoundly changed the landscape of electronic percussion. The size of a briefcase, the Octapad offered drummers and percussionists the equivalent of an entire electronic rig in one self-contained unit - a new level of convenience and expression.
Today, decades later, an exciting new chapter in the Octapad history begins. The Roland SPD-30 blends the world’s most essntial sounds with the latest triggering technology in a road-tough package that’s ready for the most demanding performers.
See what Future Music think of Roland’s Octapad SPD-30, its thumbs up and thumbs down - and exactly what this amazing innovative electronic drum and percussion tool can offer all you drummer and percussionists…

Exlusive introduction videos and artist information! The highly awaited KOMPLETE 7 is the latest version of the ultimate software collection from Native Instruments. Now bigger and better and featuring 24 KOMPLETE Instruments and Effects, this 90 GB package is bursting with more than 10,000 production-ready sounds for all styles and genres. KOMPLETE 7 features renowned flagship products like KONTAKT, GUITAR RIG and the redesigned REAKTOR 5.5 plus all-new instruments and effects from Native Instruments and brands like Abbey Road and Scarbee.

Ever wanted to thicken up your guitar sound with a warm synth pad? Or how about a screaming lead sound that puts you infront? The GR-20 Guitar Synthesizer makes playing high-quality synthesizer and instrument sounds from your guitar as simple as 1-2-3. See what the GR-20 guitar synthesizer has to offer you and what artists like to use this!

Roland joins the 80s revival and revamps the shoulder-synthesizer.
With so many bands now looking back to the 80s for inspiration, Roland have developed the Lucina AX-09 which is poised to capture the hearts of glory-loving keyboard players everywhere.
It’s very different to those 80s shoulder-synths however, it has a 37-note keyboard, weighs only 4kg and can be powered by batteries for hours on end of portable playing….

Analogue synethesis on the go - the pocket-sized synth you can take anywhere.
Perfect for both professional musicians and beginners, Korg embraces cutting-edge technology and advanced ease of use to produce dynamic and inspiring sound..
Analogue synths were once massive, temperamental monsters; but no more! The true analogue Monotron fits in your pocket and is ready to play – anytime, anyplace. The Monotron measures just 120mm x 72mm x 28mm!
Korg offers every musician the ability to enjoy analogue synthesis with the all-new Monotron Analogue Ribbon Synthesizer…see exactly what it can do with the best review here!